More information on the Forum’s Agriculture and Food Security Initiative: http://www.weforum.org/agriculture

Paris, June 8, 2011 – A group of 80 global leaders from business, international and
regional organizations joined with the French G20 Presidency on Monday to
define priority actions the G20 can take to improve global food security.

The meeting, convened by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of
Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Rural Affairs and Planning of France, in
collaboration with the CEO Working Group on Food Security of the World Economic
Forum’s G20 Task Force, was the first private-sector consultation as part of
the G20 process on food and agricultural commodities price volatility.

The group discussed specific recommendations prepared
by governments, international organizations and the Forum’s Working Group and
network of Global Agenda Councils, who in turn drew on the expertise of a
diverse network of stakeholders to inform their views.

“We are pleased that this group forms part of a broad
network of stakeholders, including farmer leaders, experts and civil society
groups, working with the World Economic Forum to develop solutions for global
food security,” said Robert Greenhill, Managing Director of the World
Economic Forum.

The recommendations focused on actions that will
leverage private-sector investment, technology innovation and information to
strengthen and stabilize global food markets and provide opportunities to poor
farmers and consumers in the face of rising price volatility and hunger levels.

“The private sector can contribute a great deal to
solving food insecurity, but this must be done in collaboration with
governments, as part of an integrated strategy to improve the sustainability of
our global food systems,” said Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer,
Unilever, who chairs the CEO Working Group on Food Security.

Bruno Le Maire, who is leading development of a G20 Action Plan on food and
agricultural commodities price volatility, said: “We have agreed with the
international business community on several priorities for action, which could
be taken into account by the G20. These are designed to reduce price volatility
and improve the productivity and sustainability of food systems over the long
term.”

Specific areas for collaboration between public and
private sectors outlined in the meeting, based on the priorities set by the G20
French Presidency, include:

Developing a global
system to monitor information on food production and consumption, reserves and
price levels, together with a mechanism to better anticipate and respond faster
and in a more coordinated way to food crises.

Increasing the
environmental sustainability of agriculture – including impacts on water, land
and climate – through a coordinated effort to share best practices, catalyse
partnerships and strengthen leadership.

Targeting technology
innovation and distribution to specific regional needs, with active support and
leadership from local stakeholders. These efforts can be accelerated through
harmonizing and reforming policies, and establishing goals and incentives.

Establishing a
mechanism to strengthen agriculture sector risk management tools and practices
at country level as a key strategy for reducing the impacts of volatility on
the poor and increasing agriculture sector investment.

Participants also agreed on ways to better coordinate
public and private sector efforts, including supporting the formation of
national-level partnerships to engage the private sector in sustainable
agricultural development, and establishing a global multistakeholder forum to
exchange best practices and provide input to the G20 on an ongoing basis.

The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

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